Bill-file



W; MISMEL. BILL FILE fNo Model.)

Patented N0v.26, 1895.

Mjmora-LrmawAsnmmommc UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

WILLIAM M. ISRAEL, OF MILTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

BILL-FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,372, dated November 26, 1895.

Application filed March 26, 1895l Serial No. 543,233. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern: Y I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. ISRAEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milton, in the county of Northumberland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Bill-File, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bill-iiles, and has for its object to provide a simple, efficient, and inexpensive device whereby when open the contents are exposed and may be withdrawn without difficulty and without disturbing the order of arrangement of the other papers.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim. V

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a bill-file constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the file with the contents omitted and the base partly broken away to show the trunnions of the bails, the bails being shown thrown back in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the file inverted.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

l designates a base, which is preferably constructed of a single strip or piece, and is provided at intermediate points in its under surface with transverse bearing-grooves 2 for the reception of the inturned extremities or trunnions 3 of the swinging bails 4. Parallel and coextensive with the base is the adjustable plate 5, adapted to bear against the upper or outer side of the bundle of papers, bills, waybills, or invoices, as indicated at 6, and attached to the outer surface of this plate is a continuous, preferably metallic, ratchet-bar 7, provided upon-opposite sides of its center with oppositely-inclined teeth 8 and 9 for engagement by the transverse portions l0 at the extremities of the swinging bails. In anarrow file, such as that illustrated in the drawings, a single center ratchet-bar is deemed suf- Iicient; but it is obvious that with iiles of greater width the plurality of such ratchetbars may be employed arranged parallel with the lateral edges of the movable plate and extending continuously from one end to the other thereof. This ratchet-bar, which is preferably of metal, gives suflicient rigidity to the movable plate to provide for the latter being constructed of wood, and in order to provide a corresponding rigidity in the base I preferably employ longitudinal strips 11,'

secured to the under side of the base to close the lower sides of the bearing-grooves therein and extending parallel with the side edges and from one end to the other of the base, as shown in Fig. 3.

One of the bails is of greater width than the other in order to allow the other to fold or swing therethrough, whereby in operative position the bails are crossed as shown in Fig. l and in full lines in Fig. 2, and the compression of the contents of the iile is accomplished by spreading the free ends of the bails and causing them to engage the ratchet as near the extremities thereof as possible. When it is desired to release the contents in order to examine, withdraw, or insert papers, the extremities of the bails are disengaged and swung outward toward the extremities of the file. The bails are fulcrumed at points approximately midway between the center and the extremities of the base, whereby when the free ends are released froml the ratchetbar they Will swing beyond and free from the extremities of the movable plate and thus allow the latter to be arranged in any desired position to expose the contents of the file.

From the above description it will be seen that the movable or pressure plate is not permanently connected with the bails, and therefore that said plate may be detached from the ile to facilitate the inspection of the contents or the arrangement of the same upon the base. The detachment of this pressureplate is accomplished by swinging the free looped ends of the bails outward or toward those en'ds of the base contiguous to which their pivotal ends are fulcrumed. After the contents of the iile have been properly arranged upon the base the pressure-plate is placed upon the uppermost paper or upon the top of the contents, after which the bails may be swung inward or toward each other until their free ends engage the opposite sets of ratchet-teeth. l

Various changes in the form, proportion,

IOO

and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- In a bill ile, the combination of a base, and swinging bails fulcrulned upon the base, respectively, near the extremities thereof and adapted to incline inward or toward each other to cause the intersection of Vtheir sides, one bail fitting within or passing through the other, and a pressure plate detachable from the file and arranged between the intersecting sides of the bails, said pressure plate being 

